This invention relates to plows fitted on vehicles for moving snow, dirt, sand, gravel and other plowable, excavatable materials and, more particularly, to a plow for snow and other materials for use with pickup trucks, dozers, graders and other vehicles having plow wings which are individually adjustable for both extension of the main plow and forward angling of the wings for positioning the plow to prevent snow or other plowed material from slipping off the ends of the plow.
A wide variety of snow plows for pickup trucks and other utility vehicles are available and in use. These include straight bladed plows of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,026, and center-hinged, V-plows of the type show U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,074,448 and 4,658,519. Other straight bladed plows have been devised with one or both ends being slidably extendable as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,218,512; 3,807,064; and Swedish 323,974. Yet other plows have included straight blades with pivotable, non-extendable ends as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,145,825 and 3,477,151. At least one plow is shown in EPO 140,139 having permanently forwardly angled plow ends, which forwardly angled plow ends include slidable extensions wherein the entire plow swings from side to side so as to angle the entire plow left or right.
While each of the above types of prior known plows is useful in one or more situations, the overall flexibility for use of these plows has been limited. For example, for truck mounted plows which must be transported from one site to another for clearing snow or other plowable materials, it is necessary that the plow be short enough to allow transport on public highways which have limited lane width. However, when actually engaged in plowing, it is very helpful to have a greater length for the plow so that larger areas of the parking lot or other site can be cleared of snow more quickly. Yet another problem encountered is when large amounts of snow or other plowable material must be pushed or carried with the plow from one area of a clearing site to another such as the side of a parking lot. Many of the above mentioned plows allow snow or other material being cleared to slip off the ends of the plow thereby requiring additional time and work to completely clear the site.
Plows have been proposed which provide adjustable wings which are extendable and retractable and may be pivoted forwardly from their extended positions to form a generally U-shaped plow. For example, such plows are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,638,618 and 5,899,007. The plow wings are fully extended laterally from the plow and may be angled forwardly to form the generally U-shaped plow.
Many existing, prior known plows have, therefore, failed to provide a plow with sufficient flexibility to handle the varying needs encountered in plowing using pickup trucks or other vehicles, especially when such vehicles must be driven on public highways or when excavating or grading using a bulldozer, grader or the like. Such needs include a short enough plow length to allow transportation on public highways, a long enough length for fast, efficient clearing of a job site, and the carrying or pushing of plowable material from one area to another without allowing the plowed material to slip off the plow ends. In addition, plows should be as light in weight as possible while sufficiently strong to withstand the various forces imposed thereon during plowing of various materials. The plows should also allow for proper visibility during use as well as when moved to a non-use position on the vehicle, and should allow ease in repair or replacement of those parts subject to high wear during plowing use. All of these results should be accomplished while minimizing the size and space required for the plow in each of its arrangements.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a plow having adjustable wings on its ends which can be adjusted to varying positions to allow transport on public highways, to provide increased plow length for fast, efficient clearing of snow or other material being plowed, and to allow carrying or pushing of plowable material from one area to another without the plowed material slipping off the plow ends. The present plow may be configured in various arrangements to handle each of these situations while minimizing the size and space required by the plow when in position on the vehicle. The present plow also allows adjustment to meet these various situations from a remote position in the cab of the vehicle without external, hands on adjustment.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a plow assembly for vehicles comprises a plow, a support for attaching the plow to the vehicle, an extendable plow wing, and at least one actuator connected to the plow wing. The plow has a front material engaging surface. The plow further includes a hinge member at one end of the plow. The plow wing is pivotally mounted to the hinge member and has an inner portion pivotally mounted at the hinge and an outer portion slidably mounted to the inner portion. Each of the inner and outer portions has a front material engaging surface. The outer wing portion is mounted for sliding movement along the inner wing portion between a retracted position in which an outer end of the outer wing portion is adjacent an outer end of the inner wing portion, and an extended position in which the outer end of the outer wing portion is spaced outwardly of the retracted position. The inner wing portion is pivotally mounted on the hinge member for movement between an aligned position in which the front surface of the inner and outer wing portions are generally aligned with the front surface of the plow, and a forwardly angled position in which the front surfaces of the plow wing extend at an angle to the front surface of the plow. The actuator is operable to move the outer wing portion between the retracted and extended positions, and to move the plow wing between the aligned and forwardly angled positions.
Preferably, the plow assembly includes a plow wing at each end of the plow. Both plow wings are movable between the extended and retracted positions and movable between the aligned and forwardly angled positions with respect to the plow. Preferably, the plow assembly includes two pair of actuators, such as hydraulic cylinders or the like. Each pair of actuators is operable to move one of the plow wings with respect to the plow. Preferably, one of the actuators of each pair is operable to move the outer wing portion along the inner wing portion between the extended and retracted positions, while the other actuator of the pair is operable to move or pivot the respective plow wing about the hinge between the aligned and forwardly angled positions. Preferably, the actuators are independently controlled such that the plow wings may be extended and/or pivoted as desired by the operator of the plow assembly.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a plow assembly for vehicles, comprises a plow, a support for attaching the plow to the vehicle, first and second extendable plow wings, first and second slides, and at least one actuator for moving the plow wings relative to the plow. The plow has opposite ends, a front material engaging surface, and a hinge member at each of the opposite ends. The front material engaging surface of the plow has a generally continuous uninterrupted surface. Each plow wing has inner and outer wing portions, each of which preferably has a cross-sectional contour corresponding to the plow and a front material engaging surface. The outer wing portion of each plow wing is mounted for sliding movement along the inner wing portion of the respective plow wing. Each of the plow wings is movable between a retracted position in which an outer end of the outer wing portion is adjacent an outer end of its respective inner wing portion, and an extended position in which the outer end of the outer wing portion is spaced outwardly from the retracted position. Each plow wing is pivotally mounted on a respective one of the hinge members for movement between an aligned position in which the front surface of the plow wing and the front surface of the plow are generally aligned, and a forwardly angled position in which the front surface of the plow wing extends at an angle to the front surface of the plow. The slides are movable along the rear surface of the inner wing portions of a respective plow wing. The outer wing portion of each plow wing is mounted on and movable with a respective slide. Preferably, each of the plow wings is movable independently of the other plow wing, such that the plow wings are independently movable between the retracted, extended, aligned and forwardly angled positions.
In one form, the actuator includes two pair of actuators, each pair being operable to move one of the plow wings. One actuator of each pair is operable to move the slide, and thus the outer wing portion, along the inner wing portion between the extended and retracted position, while the other of the actuators of each pair is operable to move or pivot the plow wing about the hinge member between the aligned and forwardly angled positions. Each of the actuators are preferably operable independently of the other actuators and plow wing such that the plow wings are independently movable between the retracted, extended, aligned and forwardly angled positions.
The plow is preferably pivotally mounted on the support for movement about a first, generally vertical pivot axis from a centered position extending generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, to a series of angled positions in which the plow is angled to the left or right of the centered position.
Accordingly, the present plow assembly provides numerous advantages over prior known plows. The present plow has sufficient flexibility to handle varying needs including being short enough in length when not extended to allow transport on public highways without projecting into adjacent lanes, being extendable to a sufficient length to allow fast, efficient clearing of the snow or other plowable material being plowed from a large area, and yet is configurable with either one or both the wings angled forwardly for highly efficient carrying and/or pushing of plowed material from one location in the area being plowed to another without the plowed material slipping off the plow ends. The wings are adjustable forwardly irrespective of the degree of extension of the wings, such that one or both wings may be angled forwardly when in either the extended or retracted position, or in a partially extended position. Additionally, the wings may be extended after they are forwardly angled, in order to increase the carrying capacity of the U-blade configuration in response to the type and/or consistency of the material being moved or plowed. All of these functions are accomplished in the present plow with a minimal size and space due to its compact and efficient construction. Preferably, the plow may be centered for pushing or carrying of material, or angled to one side or the other for moving material to the side of the vehicle supporting the plow. One or both plow wings at the ends of the plow may be extended or pivoted forwardly independently or together, while the entire plow may be centered or angled to one side or the other with one or both of the plow wings extended or pivoted forwardly. In either case, the plow wings at either end of the main plow are independently extendable and movable to a forwardly angled position via remote control from the cab of the vehicle by means of at least one actuator, such as an hydraulic fluid cylinder or the like, mounted along the back of the plow. The main plow blade and both the inner and outer portions of the wings all provide a generally continuous, uninterrupted front surface of their respective moldboards. This avoids the possibility of dirt, ice or other materials becoming lodged or embedded in the movable mechanisms of the plow wings, since these mechanisms are positioned behind the uninterrupted moldboards of the plow assembly. This not only may improve the operation of the plow wings when plowing, grading or excavating, but may also increase the life cycle of the plow wings and their associated components.
In addition, both the main plow and the extendable wings are pivotable forwardly on a horizontal axis in the event an obstacle is encountered during plowing. Further, when the plow wings are extended, if the vehicle is moved in reverse and a quantity of snow or other material being plowed engages the rear surface of either plow wing, either a latch mechanism or an actuator or fluid cylinder maintains the plow wing in alignment with the plow blade and prevents movement to the forwardly angled position until desired. In addition, the extendable, adjustable plow of the present invention has been designed in a highly compact, lightweight manner allowing use on a wide variety of pickup trucks, tractors and other vehicles as well, including bulldozers, graders or other excavation or construction vehicles or equipment. It may be supported at the front of a vehicle via a support frame or by means such as vertical supports positioned behind the plow assembly such as in a road grader. In addition, the plow assembly of the present invention is rugged, strong and highly durable to allow use in harsh weather or environmental conditions over an extended period of time.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of the invention will become more apparent from a study of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.